Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

High Rise Flats: Insulation

The Earl of Lytton: To ask His Majesty's Government by what date they expect all buildings over 11 metres that require a work assessment to have had their assessments completed.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Developers that signed the developer remediation contract are required to assess and remediate relevant buildings as soon as reasonably practicable. The length of time it may reasonably take to assess and remediate a building will vary depending on factors including the scale of works required, co-operation of third parties in granting access to the building and finalising a works contract, and risk-based prioritisation by the developer of assessments and remedial works across the portfolio of buildings for which the developer is responsible. The Government publishes monthly data on progress that developers have made towards assessing and remediating buildings for which they are responsible under the contract. As at end of November 2023, fire risks assessments had been undertaken on 97.6% of all buildings reported 11m+ in height which are the responsibility of social housing providers, with a further 1.5% planned in the next nine months. As at end January 2024, developers had yet to obtain an assessment for 1,607 of the 4,614 11m+ buildings for which developers had accepted responsibility under the developer remediation contract.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

The Earl of Lytton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the total number of buildings for which developers have accepted responsibility for remediation under their contract is now confirmed to be 4614, as indicated in the Developer Remediation Contract Data Release: January 2024.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: As of 31 January 2024, developers that signed the remediation contract had accepted responsibility for 4,614 buildings. Of the 4,614 buildings covered by the contract, 1,501 buildings (33%) have been identified as having life-critical fire safety defects that require remediation under the terms of the contract.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

The Earl of Lytton: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their definition of "life-critical defects" in relation to fire safety risks in buildings.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The definition of “life-critical defects” is in Annex 1 of the developer remediation contract.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

The Earl of Lytton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that construction defects relating to fire safety in residential blocks have on the asset value of those buildings.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Department does not hold information on the impact of construction defects, relating to fire safety, on the asset value of whole buildings. However, I refer the Earl of Lytton to the answer given to Question UIN 22129 On 24 April 2024 on the selling price of individual flats.UIN 22129 (pdf, 61.4KB)

Cabinet Office

Public Bodies: Finance

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, for the purposes of theEconomic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, the definition of a "public body" may apply to a single individual person.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Bill applies to public authorities as defined in section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. This means that the Bill will only apply to public authorities and not to individuals in their private capacities. When an individual is acting on behalf of a public authority, they will not be held personally liable for a breach of the ban. Only public authorities can breach the ban. Cases where this definition may apply to a single individual will be limited to where that individual is themselves a public authority. An example of such a case would be a Secretary of State. In this example, the Secretary of State would only be in scope of the Bill when acting as Secretary of State – and not when acting in their personal capacity.

Public Bodies: Finance

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, for the purposes of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, there is a lower limit to (1) the amount or proportion of public funding received by a public body, and (2) the size of such a body using any other metric.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill applies to public authorities, as defined in section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. There is no universal test to determine whether an authority is bound by section 6 of the Human Rights Act and therefore in scope of the Bill. However, indicative factors that have been identified by judges as relevant include: the authority receiving a significant amount of public funding; the authority carrying out acts in exercise of statutory powers; and the authority exercising a task which is in the public interest. Although there is no lower limit to the size of a public authority, nor the amount of public funding that a public authority can receive, judges have already clarified that receiving public funding does not, on its own, mean a body is a public authority under section 6, nor exercising public functions. Ultimately, the courts would decide on individual cases depending on the particular circumstances.

Public Bodies: Finance

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their definition of "public body" for the purposes of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill; and whether this definition includes arts organisations.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Bill applies to a broad range of public bodies to protect community cohesion and ensure a consistent approach to foreign policy. Specifically, the Bill applies to public authorities, as defined in section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. Bodies should already be aware if they are bound by section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 as this legislation has been on the statute book for 25 years and places wide-ranging obligations on them.The definition may include some arts organisations such as some museums and galleries in receipt of significant public funding when they are undertaking certain public functions. As with any general definition in legislation, there are instances where the application of a definition depends on the specific facts of a case and it is ultimately for the courts to decide.

Department for Education

Overseas Students: Gaza

Baroness Gohir: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of students in the UK who are on a student visa from Gaza and what support is being provided to them.

Baroness Barran: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), now part of JISC, is responsible for collecting and publishing data about UK higher education (HE). The latest statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year. Table 28 of HESA’s ‘Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2021/22’ reports the number of non-UK domiciled HE students by country of domicile. This data is accessible at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-28. In the 2021/22 academic year, there were 245 student enrolments at UK HE providers who were domiciled in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (formerly the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip) prior to their studies. Universities offer a range of dedicated support to their international students before they arrive in the UK, on arrival and during their studies. This includes both pastoral care and financial support. If a student is experiencing difficulties, they should contact the university to discuss their circumstances.

Overseas Students

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of findings from a recent IDP Connect survey which found that nearly half of prospective students surveyed were reconsidering or unsure of their plans to study in the UK following changes in policy and rules regarding international students.

Baroness Barran: The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy while maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year and to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030. The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has four universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running, with 679,970 international students studying at a UK university in 2021/22. However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb the abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system. The department continues to work closely with the Home Office, the Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on HE providers. HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent of government. As such, they are responsible for their own admission decisions. The government takes a close interest in ensuring that the HE admissions system is fair and works closely with HE providers and sector bodies to make sure the system works well for students.

Pupils: Allergies

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether teachers and administrators are clear about the support their schools should provide to children with allergies, and what monitoring and evaluation processes they have in place to ensure this support is provided.

Baroness Barran: In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions, including allergies, and published the ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ statutory guidance for schools and others. Schools also have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures, and policies to ensure that they are not putting those with certain long-term health problems at a substantial disadvantage.The department recently reminded all schools of their legal duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to plan for supporting pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. This reminder also included a link to the statutory guidance governing bodies must have regard to when carrying out their duty under Section 100. Ofsted’s role is to make sure that schools provide a high standard of education through its inspection and reporting process. As part of that process, inspectors gather a wide range of evidence to make their judgements, including the evaluation of the experience of particular individuals and groups. This includes the experiences of pupils with medical needs. As part of the inspection, inspectors will assess the effectiveness of safeguarding at the school. This includes the extent to which pupils with specific needs and vulnerabilities are kept safe. The safeguarding culture is also explored through speaking to leaders and staff about their work, including the messages that pupils receive through the curriculum.

Overseas Students: Visas

Lord Sharkey: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent data by Enroly published on 27 March which showed that issuance of certificates ofConfirmation of Acceptance for Studies has significantly reduced, with overall deposits down by more than a third on the same point in 2023.

Baroness Barran: The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy, whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year and to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030. The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has four universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running. However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system. The department continues to work closely with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on HE providers. HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent from government. As such, they are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The government takes a close interest in ensuring that the HE admissions system is fair and works closely with HE providers and sector bodies to make sure the system works well for students.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence: Data Protection

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 12 April (HL3677),what practical steps data subjects can use to verify that their personal data are being processed (1) in accordance with any consent they have granted, and (2) only insofar as is "necessary" for the intended purposes; how they can exercise their right to object; and whether all of these processes will remain in place following the passage of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill as currently drafted.

Viscount Camrose: Data controllers should inform individuals of how they are going to use their personal data and set this out in their privacy notice. Individuals have a number of rights under the UK’s data protection framework, including the rights to access their personal data, to object to its processing and to rectification and erasure. If an individual is concerned about the handling of their personal data, they can contact the ICO for advice or to make a complaint.These rights, along with core data protection principles, will continue to apply under the reforms within the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.